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Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Sabina's accent is very inconsistent throughout, ranging from noticeably American to pan-European and Russian Émigré.See more »

Given his entire filmography is concerned with themes linked to man's
identity and the complexities of human sexuality, David Cronenberg is,
on paper at least, the ideal director for A Dangerous Method, a movie
dealing with the birth of psychoanalysis. Then again, the film is also
a bit of an odd fit for him, since the script by Christopher Hampton
(Dangerous Liaisons) doesn't really lend itself to the outbursts of
graphic violence that permeate the Canadian auteur's body of work. The
result, first witnessed at the Venice Film Festival (after the film had
allegedly been rejected by Cronenberg's fest of choice, Cannes), is an
interesting but somewhat hollow entry in the director's admirable
career.

Ostensibly about the professional relationship between Sigmund Freud
(Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), A Dangerous
Method is in reality more concerned with the bond between Jung and
Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), a young woman sent to his clinic in
Zurich since her mental condition is an ideal subject for his research.
Sabina, it turns out, is incredibly well-read, and soon progresses from
patient to assistant, much to the amusement of Freud, who corresponds
regularly with Jung about their mutual scientific interests and also
meets the young woman on a few occasions. The relationship between the
three evolves in even stranger ways as time passes, with Sabina taking
an unexpected place in Jung's heart...

With its combination of psychoanalysis and sex, the story - perhaps
familiar to European film buffs thanks to Roberto Faenza's
Italian-language take on the same subject - has all the right
characteristics to be vintage Cronenberg (hints of which are offered in
the opening and closing credits via Howard Shore's music). And yet
there's something missing: whereas the reconstruction of Vienna in the
early 20th century is impeccable, the director appears to be less
interested in the actual development of story and character, with a
rather detached approach that suggests he's almost working on
autopilot. That having said, part of the blame can be laid on Hampton,
whose screenplay only glosses over key details of the story, leaving us
with a quite simplified, "safe" version of events (the sex is unusually
tame and unchallenging for a Cronenberg film).

The performances are a mixed bag as well: Knightley, stuck with the
showy role, is unbearably OTT in the first 30 minutes, shouting and
shaking endlessly before she eventually tones down the mania and
focuses on finding the character, complete with a solid Russian accent.
At the other end of the spectrum is Mortensen, pitch-perfect from the
start but criminally underused, especially considering his past
associations with Cronenberg. And then there's Fassbender, quietly
intense and generally up to the task, were it not for his decision to
speak RP English when he and Mortensen, who adopts a German accent, are
supposed to be from the same country (this is even more perplexing if
one thinks of Fassbender's flawless mastery of German).

A Dangerous Method is thus a textbook case of a film that, while not
disappointing in the strict sense of the word, comes off as a minor
effort in a generally spotless filmography. But even on an off-day,
Cronenberg deserves to be seen at least once. Just don't expect another
History of Violence...

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